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Marine returns home to find renovation, TV film crew

U.S. Marine Capt. Murphy hugs his daughter Solenne upon returning home from a deployment to the cheers of supporters Tuesday, May 7, 2013. A team of volunteers renovated Capt. Murphy's house and captured it all on video in hopes of turning the venture into a new TV show. Capt. Murphy's first name is withheld because Camp Lejeune officials would not allow active duty Marines to participate in the project if they were publicly identified.

Published: Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at 4:49 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at 4:49 p.m.

A dozen cameras, a film crew and photographers snapping hundreds of photos didn't derail 3-year-old Solenne Murphy from her special mission on Tuesday morning: to give her Marine Corps dad a monster hug when he arrived at his Wilmington home after a seven-month deployment overseas.

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The youngster then blurted out a secret her mother, family and filmmakers had been concealing from Capt. Murphy for nearly five months – that a team of home improvement volunteers had been sneakily renovating his family's Wrightsville Avenue home and documenting it on video.

“Daddy, wait till you see the backyard,” the toddler said.

Amy Tipton, a local film and TV art department coordinator, brought together a team of volunteers, including vendors, contractors and film crews, for a TV pilot designed to honor military families. She hopes to pitch the home-improvement show, dubbed “Home Again,” to networks later this year.

The “big reveal” at 10 a.m. was accompanied by fanfare from neighbors who waved American flags and organizations like the Patriot Guard Riders, who escorted Capt. Murphy and his wife, also a Marine captain, on their ride home.

The captains' first names have been omitted and will not appear in the series when it airs because Camp Lejeune officials would not allow the active duty Marines to participate in the project if they were publicly identified, Tipton said.

After seven months overseas, the returning serviceman was eager to greet his family. He hugged his mom and kissed his 9-month-old son, Ronan, before greeting the crowd.

“I wasn't expecting this,” he said. “I don't know who to thank, but all of you did a great job.”

Filmmakers then led the crowd in a rousing chorus of “Welcome Home Again” before leading Murphy to the backyard, where a new shed, deck and fresh landscaping awaited. A fire crackled in a new fire pit while beers chilled in a bucket of ice nearby.

Solenne Murphy made a bee line to the crown jewel of the renovations: a framed piece of art perched on the family's new shed featuring the youngsters' handprints and footprints.

“Look at all this. I'm speechless, which is pretty rare for me,” he said. “You can actually hang out here now. This would have taken me years to accomplish with our schedule.”

The couple met when Murphy's wife, a pilot, picked him up in a helicopter.

“I picked him up and then he picked me up,” she said. “We became friends and then, before going on deployment, we realized, ‘Hey, this might be something serious.'”

He proposed during shore leave in Dubai in 2007.

The couple hasn't spent much time in their backyard since they bought their home in 2009, his mother, Pam Murphy, said.

“The backyard was all stones and sand – there was no grass,” she said. “It's always emotional when they come home – when I get that call that he's set foot in the states, I breathe a sign of relief. But this is awesome.”

The “Home Again” crew, including Beth Crookham, a producer, and Old School Rebuilders, a Wilmington contracting company, started work on the home in February. All the builders volunteered their time, while all the materials used were recycled or donated.

“I really enjoyed working with everyone and I hope it takes off,” said Murphy's wife. “It had a grass roots feel – bringing the community together and working with our neighbors, local businesses and others is what I liked the most. Every step of the way, I thought about what he would like or what he would do.”

Besides the nonstop work, keeping a secret from a man who's trained in interrogation techniques was tough, she said.

“I knew something was up,” he said. “A friend recently asked me how my yard was. I was like, ‘Why would you ask about that? It's a disaster.'”

During the pilot's development, Tipton said she was introduced to dozens of area military families who could use extra help.

“We're hoping to keep the momentum going – we have nibbles from parties interested in the pilot already – but worst-case scenario, we'll save up and go out and help someone else in need,” she said.

Capt. Murphy typically has four months between deployments, his wife said, but beyond that, the family doesn't know how long he'll be at home.

“Coming home and getting into all the rhythms always takes awhile,” he said.

In the meantime, he said he'll take advantage of his new outdoor mecca by grilling with friends and playing with his children.

<p>A dozen cameras, a film crew and photographers snapping hundreds of photos didn't derail 3-year-old Solenne Murphy from her special mission on Tuesday morning: to give her Marine Corps dad a monster hug when he arrived at his Wilmington home after a seven-month deployment overseas. </p><p>The youngster then blurted out a secret her mother, family and filmmakers had been concealing from Capt. Murphy for nearly five months – that a team of home improvement volunteers had been sneakily renovating his family's Wrightsville Avenue home and documenting it on video.</p><p>“Daddy, wait till you see the backyard,” the toddler said.</p><p>Amy Tipton, a local film and TV art department coordinator, brought together a team of volunteers, including vendors, contractors and film crews, for a TV pilot designed to honor military families. She hopes to pitch the home-improvement show, dubbed “Home Again,” to networks later this year.</p><p>The “big reveal” at 10 a.m. was accompanied by fanfare from neighbors who waved American flags and organizations like the Patriot Guard Riders, who escorted Capt. Murphy and his wife, also a Marine captain, on their ride home.</p><p>The captains' first names have been omitted and will not appear in the series when it airs because Camp Lejeune officials would not allow the active duty Marines to participate in the project if they were publicly identified, Tipton said. </p><p>After seven months overseas, the returning serviceman was eager to greet his family. He hugged his mom and kissed his 9-month-old son, Ronan, before greeting the crowd.</p><p>“I wasn't expecting this,” he said. “I don't know who to thank, but all of you did a great job.”</p><p>Filmmakers then led the crowd in a rousing chorus of “Welcome Home Again” before leading Murphy to the backyard, where a new shed, deck and fresh landscaping awaited. A fire crackled in a new fire pit while beers chilled in a bucket of ice nearby.</p><p>Solenne Murphy made a bee line to the crown jewel of the renovations: a framed piece of art perched on the family's new shed featuring the youngsters' handprints and footprints.</p><p>“Look at all this. I'm speechless, which is pretty rare for me,” he said. “You can actually hang out here now. This would have taken me years to accomplish with our schedule.”</p><p>The couple met when Murphy's wife, a pilot, picked him up in a helicopter.</p><p>“I picked him up and then he picked me up,” she said. “We became friends and then, before going on deployment, we realized, 'Hey, this might be something serious.'”</p><p>He proposed during shore leave in Dubai in 2007.</p><p>The couple hasn't spent much time in their backyard since they bought their home in 2009, his mother, Pam Murphy, said.</p><p>“The backyard was all stones and sand – there was no grass,” she said. “It's always emotional when they come home – when I get that call that he's set foot in the states, I breathe a sign of relief. But this is awesome.”</p><p>The “Home Again” crew, including Beth Crookham, a producer, and Old School Rebuilders, a Wilmington contracting company, started work on the home in February. All the builders volunteered their time, while all the materials used were recycled or donated.</p><p>“I really enjoyed working with everyone and I hope it takes off,” said Murphy's wife. “It had a grass roots feel – bringing the community together and working with our neighbors, local businesses and others is what I liked the most. Every step of the way, I thought about what he would like or what he would do.”</p><p>Besides the nonstop work, keeping a secret from a man who's trained in interrogation techniques was tough, she said.</p><p>“I knew something was up,” he said. “A friend recently asked me how my yard was. I was like, 'Why would you ask about that? It's a disaster.'” </p><p>During the pilot's development, Tipton said she was introduced to dozens of area military families who could use extra help.</p><p>“We're hoping to keep the momentum going – we have nibbles from parties interested in the pilot already – but worst-case scenario, we'll save up and go out and help someone else in need,” she said. </p><p>Capt. Murphy typically has four months between deployments, his wife said, but beyond that, the family doesn't know how long he'll be at home.</p><p>“Coming home and getting into all the rhythms always takes awhile,” he said.</p><p>In the meantime, he said he'll take advantage of his new outdoor mecca by grilling with friends and playing with his children.</p><p>“It's absolutely amazing to see it all come together,” he said.</p><p><i></p><p>Cassie Foss: 343-2365</p><p>On <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/news41"><b>Twitter</b></a>: @WilmOnFilm</i></p>